Lookin' At Life Through My Own Eyes
by theoriginalbookthief07
Summary: "The world was made to change, each day is a surprise...lookin' at life through my own eyes; searchin' for a hero to idolize; feelin' the pain as innocence dies, I'm lookin' at life-through my own eyes." A collection of one-shots set before and during Captain America: The Winter Soldier; third in the ChristyVerse.
1. The War Was In Color

**Author's Note: To everyone who's read my previous story We Can Be Found, this is the collection of one-shots that I promised. Timeline includes any time during and after We Can Be Found (after The Avengers) up to during Captain America: The Winter Soldier.**

 **To anyone who hasn't read We Can Be Found, I would encourage you to go do so. The basic background for this universe is that all the Avengers live in Avengers Tower and Steve Rogers has adopted a seven-year-old girl named Christy.**

 **Enjoy this first one-shot, more should be posted semi-soon. I plan to start my sequel to We Can Be Found soon, so this will probably be on a back burner unless an idea strikes or is suggested. Feel free to suggest ideas. Please!  
**

 **The title for this chapter comes from the song "The War Was in Color," by Carbon Leaf. It takes place somewhere around chapter 12 in We Can Be Found.  
**

* * *

 **Lookin' At Life Through My Own Eyes**

Chapter One: The War Was in Color

It was a normal Saturday morning and Steve and Christy were watching TV. The History Channel, to be exact. It was a documentary of World War Two, in black and white. Christy rubbed at her eyes.

Steve noticed. Concerned, he asked. "Are your eyes okay, baby?"

Christy nodded. "Yeah, they're okay; it's just hard to focus when the screen's in black and white. It makes everything look faded."

"Faded…" Steve whispered. So it affected Christy, too, though not for the same reason it affected him. All the documentaries of the War years, _his_ time, were dull and faded; black and white and gray. "World War Two" was synonymous with faded photos and blurry, popping film.

But he remembered a world of vivid color; of blues and greens and reds and purples—all the colors he still saw today! It wasn't like color was a recent invention, after all.

It wasn't fair that all his daughter—all anyone—could see of his time was faded, washed-out images that made everything seem so far away.

He could still see Peggy's fire-red lipstick and brown curls; Bucky's ocean eyes and smiling face. True, everyone's uniforms had been olive _drab_ , but the trees were the same bright green as today.

Blood had been red. And the snow had been blindingly white.

It was _real_. It _happened_. It wasn't a movie or a book or a fairy tale.

 _And it was less than a year ago…_

Suddenly, he couldn't take it anymore. He switched off the TV and walked into his room; crashing headlong onto his bed.

Christy sat on the couch, stunned—though only for a moment. This wasn't exactly unusual. Ever since their talk, her first nightmare in the Tower, Steve had kept his promise. She had seen him cry, and she had seen him _not_ cry, but simply sit with a dead look in his eyes (that was scarier).

But usually, there was always Aunt Tasha or Uncle Clint or someone _grown-up_ to talk her dad out of his sadness. Now, there was just her.

She waited. Uncle Clint said waiting was important, because it gave people a chance to calm down. Then, she walked to her dad's room and knocked on the door.

Steve cringed when he heard the knock. Christy; he'd completely forgotten about Christy. But he didn't want his daughter seeing him like this, so he cried out, "Christy, don't come in right now…I need…I need…"

He couldn't even finish the sentence. His voice broke. Christy, of course, pushed open the door.

She took one look at him, and went for the Kleenex box in the room's connected bathroom.

"Don't cry; it'll be okay." she said quietly.

Steve sighed. "I don't know about that." Christy sat down next to him and looked up with earnest blue eyes.

"It gets better! It starts to not…not hurt so bad." she whispered. "And then you start doing stuff and laughing and it doesn't hurt…" her face crumpled up. Steve instantly pulled her into a hug.

"Aww, baby." he said thickly. "We're nothin' but a couple 'a broken messes, ain't we?"

"I don't mind bein' a broken mess, as long as I'm _your_ broken mess!" Christy said firmly.

They stayed that way for a long time, Steve gently rocking his daughter back and forth. Finally, she whispered:

"So why were _you_ crying?"

Steve started to speak, but then remembered the advice Coulson had given him—to not let Christy get away with ignoring her feelings. "You first."

Christy sighed impatiently. "I miss mommy. But what about you?"

"The war was in color." Steve said. Christy looked up, confused. "Leaves were green and the sky was blue and Peggy's lipstick was red and so was the blood…" he trailed off. Christy frowned.

"Go on, I know what war means. People die."

Steve snorted. So much for Natasha's and his unspoken plan to keep Christy semi-innocent. "And so was the blood that fell from the soldiers who died." he whispered. "And so was _Red_ _Skull_." he added, with a bit of venom.

They were silent. Then, Christy asked. "What color were Bucky's eyes?"

Steve felt his heart clench. He bowed his head.

"They were blue and green…like the ocean on a good day." he sighed. "You don't need to hear this, baby."

"But I want to!" Christy was looking stubborn now. "If you tell me, then I can see in color, too!" She gently picked up the framed picture of Peggy on his nightstand.

"What color was her dress in this picture?" she asked.

Steve glanced at the image. "It was navy blue. Her lipstick was red like fire." he grinned. "It suited her. Her eyes were hazel and her hair was just a couple shades darker…"

"I can see it!" Christy sounded as happy as Christmas morning. "I can see it in color!"

They looked through more pictures and as Steve told the stories and added color to the dull "canvases" of the black-and-white shots, the ache in his chest began to grow less and less.

"Thanks, baby." he said softly, as Christy ran her finger over an image of him and Bucky.

"No problem." she whispered back. "You look so serious in this picture, and Bucky looks like he's tryin' to figure somethin' out. I wish I could have met him."

Steve smiled sadly, trying to push back the pain that flared up at Christy's words. "He would've loved you. Would've spoiled you rotten. And you would've loved him."

Christy nodded, but she could sense her dad's shift in mood, so she changed the subject. "So...what was happening in this picture?"

Steve stared at the image, trying to call back the details.

"Well, I think we were somewhere in Germany, and…"

He could feel Christy lean into his side. And little by little, the hurt began to die.

* * *

When Clint sent him a link to a show entitled _World War II in Color_ , Steve figured he knew who to thank. Christy helped him look up episodes online.

They watched the first episode together, curled up on the couch.

The footage was still a little faded. But that was alright.

Because at last, people could know what he already knew and see what he already saw in his memories.

Because the war was in color.

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 **Hope you enjoyed. Please review, favorite, and follow!  
**


	2. Safe and Sound

**Author's Note: Thanks to all reviewers, favoriters, and followers for your responses to last chapter. I appreciate the feedback.**

 **I know this one-shot is a bit of a tear-jerker like the last one. I swear that not all of these will be sad! It just so happened that the first two I had pre-written were sad. Still, I hope you enjoy. If you have any ideas for future chapters, please comment! I need ideas! Preferably non-angsty ones!  
**

 **Favorites and follows are very appreciated. Reviews are eaten like candy and digested thoroughly!**

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Chapter Two: Safe and Sound

Steve was already awake. Nightmares had woken him up yet again; the same old dream that had been haunting him since he'd been unfrozen.

 _Ice cold water filled the plane, covering everything. Blackness seeped into his mind, suspending all thoughts. And then, nothing. Until he'd woken up in a hospital room with a baseball game he'd known too well on the radio and everything else stripped away…_

He sat drinking a glass of milk in the kitchen, trying not to imagine what Tony would say if he were here to see this. But as he had pointed out before, what was the point of drinking alcohol when maudlin if you couldn't get drunk? Not that he really had much desire to be drunk anymore…

A lot of things had changed in the past month.

A half moan, half sob drifted out of Christy's room. It was quiet, but not out of range for serum-enhanced senses to pick up on. Steve frowned, set his glass on the counter, and made his way to his daughter's room.

She was awake and looked up as soon as she heard him come in.

"I…I was trying to be quiet." she whispered, looking guilty. By the small amount of light drifting in from the hall, Steve could see tear tracks down her face.

His heart clenched and a feeling of powerlessness swept over him, in a way he hadn't felt since before the serum.

 _I would beat up anyone who made her cry…but how do you beat up a nightmare?_

"Aw, baby, I've got enhanced hearing, remember?" he said quietly. "'Sides, I was already up."

Christy looked less guilty, but still sad. "Bad dream?"

"Yeah, bad dream. What was yours?" Steve moved to lie beside Christy on the queen-sized bed. When she'd first moved in, he had joked that she was so little, she hardly needed a bed this big, but Pepper had said she'd grow into it. Until then, it was the perfect size for nights like these.

Christy sniffled. "Mommy." she choked out. "She was okay. She was better. We were gonna go to the park, and get ice cream. And then I woke up and she was gone."

Steve felt his heart clench tighter. He knew that feeling too well.

"What was your dream?" she asked, because no, he wasn't off the hook just because he was Daddy.

"I…I dreamed about crashing the plane in the ice again. Waking up." he smiled sadly in the dark. "And when I woke up, everyone was gone."

"Why does everybody leave?" Christy asked plaintively. "It _hurts_!"

"I know baby, believe me, I know." Steve said, stroking her hair. "But I'm still here. I'll be here for as long as you need me."

"But what if…"

"If is a funny word." Steve said, thinking of something his own mother used to say. "Because it usually involves things that don't actually happen. When people focus on what _might_ happen, they usually miss what _is_ happening. And what's happening right now is that we are together and safe."

He knew that he was speaking as much to himself as to his daughter.

"Safe…" Christy whispered the word like a prayer. "Daddy, can you sing that song from Hunger Games, the Taylor Swift one? 'Safe and Sound?'"

Steve sighed. Christy had become _obsessed_ with the Hunger Games movie; even though it had given her nightmares the first time she'd seen it at one of their Tower movie nights. (He'd _told_ Tony that movie was too scary for her to watch, but he'd insisted it would be alright. Needless to say, the billionaire had eaten his words that next morning, actually horribly apologetic. They'd both forgiven him, of course.)

Steve hadn't exactly slept well himself that night, either. Something about being a father made the idea of children being forced to fight for entertainment even more gut-twisting than it already was.

Still, despite the slightly disturbing subject matter, Christy loved the soundtrack for the movie, especially the song 'Safe and Sound.'

Steve had basically memorized the song after hearing it once or twice, given that Christy had taken to humming it and singing the vocalization part of the chorus at any hour; the way she did with all her favorite songs. Super soldier memory was good for more that remembering battle tactics, after all.

With a sigh, he said, "All right. But lie back down and try to sleep, alright?"

Christy snuggled into him and nodded into his chest. "Promise."

Steve smiled and began to sing:

 _"_ _I remember tears streamin' down your face_

 _When I said I'll never let you go_

 _When all those shadows almost killed your light_

 _I remember, you said, don't leave me here alone_

 _But all that's dead and gone and past; tonight…_

 _Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh_

 _Just close your eyes, the sun is goin' down_

 _You'll be alright; no one can hurt you now_

 _Come mornin' light, you and I'll be safe and souuund_

 _Souuuuund."_

He sang the chorus over and over, until Christy's breathing was even and he was too comfortable to move. Besides, if he did try to leave, she would likely wake up, and then they would be back where they'd started.

And, to be honest, he really didn't feel like going back to his own bed; alone in the dark. He'd already spent seventy years in that position.

He moved gently under the covers and turned over on his side, a habit left over from childhood beds shared with Bucky, crowded army barracks, and tents shared with the Commandos on missions. Christy immediately melted against his back and let out a tiny, contented sigh.

Steve couldn't help but smile at the adorableness of the act. He was also slightly humbled.

 _She's only known me the better part of three months, and she already trusts me to keep her safe. I'm still not sure what I did to earn that trust…_

"Night, baby girl. Have better dreams." he whispered. "I love you."

And there they slept, undisturbed; the super soldier and his new best girl; safe and sound at last.


	3. Some, And Then Some More

**Author's Note: Here's another one-shot to tide you all over until I have enough energy to write another chapter for "I Dream Things..." I started work at a summer camp this week and things have been crazy (good, but crazy). Anyway, I wanted to write Christy bonding with the other Avengers, and this was the first idea that came to mind. It's probably a little rough, 'cause I'm slightly exhausted, but I wanted to write** ** _something_** **. I hope you enjoy.**

 **The title comes from some old math problems I used to do in school ('some, and then some more' meant addition).**

 **Review, Favorite, Follow. (These things make the author very happy and likely to write more, quicker!)**

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Chapter Three: Some, And Then Some More

"Uncle Tony? Can you help me?"

Tony Stark was, as usual, highly absorbed in advanced mechanics and technology. Bruce, who would have heard the inquiry, was out of the lab at the moment.

Christy sighed. She was willing to wait, but she really needed to finish, so drastic measures were needed.

"Jarvis? Can you get him?"

"Sir, I believe you have a visitor." Jarvis said coolly.

"Yeah, yeah; one second, J. Hey could you…"

"Sir, the visitor is Miss Rogers."

"Wait, who…" Tony spun around, becoming aware of Christy for the first time. "Jarvis, there's a kid in my lab. _Why_ did you let a kid in my lab?"

"Sir, she has a question for you." the AI replied, sidestepping Tony's question entirely (in a manner not much different than its creator).

"Yeah, but why…" Christy started to face the door.

"It's okay, Uncle Tony, I'll ask Dad. You're too busy."

Immediately, Tony felt like kicking himself. All his life, he'd sworn that if he ever did end up having children, he would never treat them the way his father had treated him. Now was his chance to actually make good on that vow, and he was blowing it spectacularly.

"Wait, kid; it's okay. I'm…actually not that busy. What's up?"

Christy inched closer. "I don't understand my math homework."

Tony snorted. "I seriously doubt that. All Steve does is go on and on about how smart you are."

"Yeah, but I don't like math. It's boring. It's just a bunch of numbers and nothing makes sense!"

Tony sighed. "Okay, lemme see."

Christy held out her math worksheet. "Here, it's word problems and I _hate_ word problems."

"You just said you didn't like math because it's a bunch of numbers…"

"Yeah, but if I have to do math, then I wanna just have numbers, not fake stories. It's like a trick."

She sounded so insulted that Tony snorted. "Okay, fair enough. First problem… 'Jill broke 111 eggs…' okay, I see where you're coming from, kid, that's ridiculous, who breaks 111 eggs exactly?"

"That's what I said!"

"Okay, okay… 'Robert broke 28 more eggs than Jill…' seriously, who's _watching_ these kids? 'How many eggs did they break in all?'"

Christy looked at the sheet. "28 plus 111 is…" she started to write the problem down. Tony shook his head.

"No, do it in your head."

"But I can't!"

"Yes you can. Shut your eyes and picture the numbers. Do you see it?"

"Yeah…"

"What's one plus eight?"

"Nine."

"What's one plus two?"

"Three."

"And one plus zero is one, obviously. One, three, nine, what number is that?"

"One…thirty-nine?"

"Bingo. That's how many eggs the second kid broke. Idiot. Anyway, the first kid broke 111 eggs. So what do you do?"

"Add 111 and 139? Can I do it on paper?"

"Kid, you're not always gonna _have_ paper. If you can do math in your head, it'll make things simpler and save on paper space. Now, what's one and nine?"

"Ten. So carry the one?"

"Yup, but put a zero down. Then, three plus one plus the one you carried makes…?"

"Five…?"

"And one plus one is…?"

"Two! I know that one!"

"What number is two, five, zero."

"Two hundred…fifty."

"So, that's your answer. 250 eggs."

Christy glanced at the paper. "We're supposed to show our work…"

"What?!" Tony looked where Christy was pointing to the instructions on the sheet. "That is ridiculous; I just showed that you can do it in your head. Ugh, low expectations are so annoying. Alright, write it down, just how we did it. What's the next problem?"

They worked their way steadily through Christy's homework sheet. It was actually…sort of nice, Tony decided. He hadn't gotten to spend much one-on-one time with the kid, so this was a chance to observe her without Steve hovering around.

She was definitely smart, though probably not genius level. But it was a different kind of smart than what he was used to.

"So kid, how come you don't like math?" he asked, as they finished the last problem.

She cocked her head. "How come you do?"

"It…solves problems."

"Uh-huh…"

"There's…look, there's beauty in just being able to take a formula, a pattern, put numbers in it, and have everything figured out!"

Christy nodded slowly. "Okay…but what about the stuff you can't put in a pattern. Like words and feelings and…stuff in here." she tapped her chest.

Tony sighed. "Uh, dunno if you noticed, kid, but…I'm not exactly too good with all that mushy feelings stuff."

"So numbers are safer? Because you're not good with words?"

"Words are fine, it's…"

"Words that matter?"

She had him. He sighed again. For some strange reason, he couldn't lie to this kid. He blamed it on her puppy-dog eyes. It was like Steve on steroids, multiplied by 100 points of adorable.

"Yeah, something like that. Words that actually matter…I have to focus to say them, like you had to focus to do math in your head."

Christy nodded. "So you tell me the numbers and I'll tell you the words. And we'll both get better."

Tony opened his mouth to say that it was alright, that he really didn't need to get better; that he was perfectly fine operating the way he did. He didn't need words and feelings and…mushy stuff.

They were complicated and (dare he admit it?) _scary_.

Numbers were predictable and orderly. Words…words were slippery things with layers. And in the moments he'd most needed them, he'd never been able to grab them.

But there sat Christy with a face that clearly stated she wasn't taking no for an answer.

Maybe it was the way she called him 'Uncle Tony,' with no hesitation. Maybe it was how she insisted on making everyone else feel better, when her life had certainly been no picnic.

Or maybe it was just that she had big, blue, puppy-dog eyes.

But Tony found himself saying:

"Okay. Sure. We can do that."

Christy smiled and threw her arms around him in a giant hug. And he didn't even pull away.

It was then that Tony began to suspect that sometimes, you didn't need words _or_ numbers to solve some problems.

You didn't even need to be a genius.


	4. Girls' Night In-Almost

**Author's Note: Thanks to all those keeping up with this story. Here's another one-shot while I come up with the next chapter for "I Dream Things..." WARNING: Here there be Age of Ultron spoilers!**

 **Review, Favorite, Follow...this story needs some love! Thanks!**

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Chapter Four: Girls Night In…Almost

It all started because Clint wanted to go ice skating at Rockefeller Center. Nobody quite knew why, but that didn't matter in the end. Thor was in town, and was fairly easy to rope into the whole scheme. After a bit of wheedling ("manly men go ice skating, Cap!"), Steve was convinced to join in as well.

Tony and Bruce were otherwise occupied in 'Candyland'. So Natasha offered to stay in with Christy, as sort of a 'girl's night.'

As Steve prepared to go out that night, he gave a few last-minute instructions to Natasha.

"Make sure she gets to bed by nine; she has school. She'll try to convince you she doesn't need that much sleep—don't buy it. She shouldn't have any trouble sleeping, but if she needs music, she has a playlist on her i-pod. There's pizza on the counter for dinner and she'll probably wanna watch a movie. I don't think there's anything else…"

Natasha cut off his parental gush. "Steve, we'll be _fine_. I think I can handle one kid."

"I know, I know, it's just…I haven't really left her alone with anyone at night before…"

"Then I'm honored to be the first." Natasha said, honesty permeating her voice.

She actually was pretty honored. That the paragon of virtue and justice (though that was, admittedly, _not_ his own definition of himself) was trusting her to watch his kid for the night…there was still a part of Natasha that felt completely unworthy of the task.

"You know I trust you with her." Steve replied. "She loves you."

Right on cue, Christy came out of her room, her cloth doll and her Captain AmeriBear each tucked under one arm. "Are you leaving soon, Daddy?"

Steve grinned. "What, tryin' to get rid of me?"

"No!" Christy dropped her toys to the floor and flung her arms around Steve's waist. "I love you!"

Steve returned the hug and his grin grew even wider, if such a thing were possible. "I love you, too, baby. And yes, I am gonna head out soon. Be good for Aunt Tasha tonight, okay?"

Christy nodded. "I'm always good."

"Remember that you have school in the morning; no trying to stay up late!"

Christy sighed. "O-kay…"

Once Steve had left the apartment, Christy turned to Natasha. "Can we eat dinner now?"

Natasha glanced at the clock on the stove. It was a little after six. "Works for me."

"Okay! Can Natka and Stevie sit at the table, too?" Christy asked, gesturing to her doll and bear. The bear was, of course, named after Steve.

Trying to hide her grin, Natasha said, "Sure, why not?"

It still gave her a rush of inexplicable happiness whenever she heard Christy say her doll's name. Sure, it was probably idiotic to be _this_ happy that the kid had named her doll after her, but to Natasha, it was just one more parting shot to the Red Room, to her past, to the monster they had tried to make her.

It was proof that she could be someone outside of the deadly Black Widow.

As they sat down at the table to eat, Natasha tried to think of something normal to ask Christy. She still had a bit of trouble interacting with kids one-on-one (although experience had taught her that kids were pretty good at filling silence).

(Her brain rabbit-trailed for a moment as she once again thought that Clint was being an idiot to hide what he was hiding from the team. But it was his secret, not hers.)

She finally settled on, "So, how was school today?"

"Good." Christy said, around a mouthful of pizza. She swallowed and continued. "Sorry, I talked with my mouth full. It was good. We did math and reading and science. We're learning about bugs. I like butterflies. But not spiders!"

Natasha smirked. "Not even black widows?"

"Aren't they really poisonous? And they kill you?"

"Yup, and that's why it's my code name." (That, and other reasons that wouldn't go over well explaining to a seven-year-old…)

Christy nodded, satisfied. "What did you learn about when you were in school, Aunt Tasha?"

Natasha froze.

Christy was smart. Smart enough to know that her dad, 'aunt,' and various 'uncles' all had things they didn't want to talk about, because they hurt too much.

But _how_ to explain to seven-year-old that when she was Christy's age, she'd been learning not about butterflies, but about how to best slit someone's throat?

"Did you even go to school?" Christy asked, softer. She was staring at Natasha with that unnervingly _knowing_ expression of hers.

She sighed. "Not…not school like you think, baby. Although I did learn to read and write and speak a lot of languages. But I learned a lot of things I'm not proud I learned. I learned how to hurt people."

"But you were just a kid, right?" Christy asked, her dinner completely forgotten. "People teaching you should have known better. Adults are supposed to know better than kids."

"Yeah…they should have known better. But they didn't."

Christy frowned. "Stupid Nazis."

That actually made Natasha laugh, considering how at war the Soviets had been with the Nazis. Yet it took an innocent to show that underneath, they were really all the same.

"They weren't Nazis, kid. But you've got the right idea. Now, finish eating."

* * *

After they'd finished dinner, Natasha cleaned up what little dishes they'd used while Christy got in her pajamas.

"Can we go down to the Common Floor and watch the movie?" Christy asked. "The TV's bigger."

"Alright. But pick your movie."

Christy rifled through a stack of DVDs. "Found it!" She grabbed her doll and bear. "Let's go!"

Natasha grinned. "Okay, okay! Slow down, kid."

They went down to the Common Floor. Natasha showed Christy how to put the movie in, and then made her do it. With five (occasionally six) adults and only one kid in the Tower, Steve was concerned that Christy would get in the habit of letting others do things for her, without knowing how to do them herself.

"What movie is this, again?" Natasha asked.

"It's _Lilo and Stitch_!" Christy said happily. "I like it a lot. But it's kinda sad in some parts. I might cry."

Natasha smiled. "Then you can cry on me."

Just then, Bruce came out of the elevator. "Oh…hey. Am I…interrupting, or…?"

"Uncle Bruce! Come watch the movie with us!"

Bruce looked just a tad startled. "Uh, that's okay, Christy, I just wanted to get something to eat and then I was gonna go back to the lab…"

"Uh-uh!" Christy jumped off the couch and grabbed Bruce's arm. "We're taking you hostage!"

"'We'?" Natasha asked, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Yeah! Puh-leaase come help me, Aunt Tasha?"

Natasha surveyed the harried-looking scientist and shrugged.

 _He spends too much time in that lab, anyway._ _So does Tony, but we'll get him another day._

"Okay. It's official." she grabbed the scientist's other arm. "You're being held hostage, Banner."

"Great…" Bruce tried to look annoyed but a grin was creeping onto his face.

"Jarvis, tell Uncle Tony that we've kidnapped Uncle Bruce, please." Christy said formally.

"With pleasure, Miss Rogers."

"'With pleasure?' Whose side are you on, Jarvis?" Bruce joked.

"According to my protocols, I am not supposed to take sides; however…you have been in the lab most of the past week, Dr. Banner. You could use a respite."

Bruce sighed. "Fine, fine; even the AI tells me to take a break. What are we watching, anyway?"

* * *

By the time the movie had ended, Natasha had decided three things.

First, was that Cobra Bubbles had to be Nick Fury's cousin in a distant universe.

Second, was that a children's movie should not have the power to make battle-hardened assassins almost cry more than once.

(Actually, forget the 'almost' part…)

Third, was that Bruce Banner looked adorable with a seven-year-old sprawled across his lap.

Christy looked to be almost asleep by the time the credits rolled, so Natasha reached over and patted her shoulder.

"Time for bed, kid, it's almost nine."

Christy yawned. "Do I _have_ to? I'm not that tired."

"Your dad already warned me about this. Now head on up and get ready, I'll be up in a minute."

"O-kay. Night, Uncle Bruce." she said, hugging the man around his neck before padding off to the elevator.

"Night, Christy."

As the elevator closed, Natasha yawned. "So, you headed back up?"

Bruce sighed. "I dunno…I have been pulling some crazy hours. Tony's like a gold mine for weird new ideas, and then I get new ideas for research just from talking to him, and then three days later, I haven't slept."

"Well, I don't exactly have any plans for the night, just waiting around for the boys to get back. Wanna come up to Steve's floor and just…talk? Or sit in silence. That might be preferable after being around Tony for days on end."

Bruce laughed. "Tony's…actually pretty quiet in the lab. He gets so focused; I know it's hard to believe, but it's true…anyway, yeah, I think I'll accept the invitation. Nice change of pace."

They both headed into the elevator. Once on Steve's floor, Natasha made sure Christy got tucked in bed, and left her listening to lullaby music.

She and Bruce settled down on the couch and just…talked. About everything—from random things to serious things. It was probably the longest conversation they'd had one-on-one.

When Steve got back about an hour and a half later, they were still talking.

"So, looks like girl's night got crashed, huh?" he joked.

Natasha shrugged. "Blame your daughter. She kidnapped him."

Steve just stared. "I…don't wanna know."

Bruce grinned at Natasha and they both started laughing.

 _Yeah, so much for girls night._ Natasha thought. _But this was pretty good, too._

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed! After I saw Age of Ultron, I read that a lot of people saw the whole Natasha/Bruce thing as kinda coming out of nowhere (which, it sorta did)...so this is part of my attempt to fill in the gap of their relationship between "The Avengers" and "Age of Ultron."**

 **There should be another chapter up for "I Dream Things..." before the weekend. In the meantime...**

 **Read, Review, Favorite, Follow! Love you guys!**


	5. Weekend Practice

**Author's Note: Here's another one-shot for you all while I survive my week at work and plan out the next installment of "I Dream Things..."**

 **This one-shot is set after the third chapter of "I Dream Things..." so if you haven't looked at that, I would give it a glance, just to know the context. Basic idea is that Loki has been exiled to earth so that he can redeem himself and has his magic bound, but he's living in Avengers Tower. Some people...aren't thrilled with that.**

 **Cameo by a couple of Agent's of SHIELD people. If you haven't seen the show, there's no spoilers, but you might wanna look up the names. (I honestly haven't been following it very closely, either.)**

 **Read, REVIEW, FAVORITE, FOLLOW! Thanks to everyone who has so far.**

* * *

Chapter Five

Fact: the so-called god of mischief and lies was living in _their_ Tower, attempting to find redemption.

Other Fact: Natasha Romanoff did not have to be happy about it.

Some would say she ought to be sympathetic. After all, she herself had committed terrible crimes before joining up with SHIELD.

But the truth remained that Natasha did not forgive easily. And truce or no truce, she was still not happy that the man who had wreaked havoc on the world was near enough to hurt those she cared about. (Never mind that his magic was bound.)

And then…there was Christy. Sweet little Christy, bound and determined to see the good in every living creature; to give second, third, and _fiftieth_ chances…

She was just like Steve. Selfless and never thinking for a moment about the danger she could put herself in.

As for Natasha, _all_ she could see was danger. Call it Russian pessimism or a product of her upbringing, but she was taking _no_ chances.

Hence why she was knocking on Steve's door at 10 o'clock on a Saturday morning, and why she'd dragged Clint along with her.

Steve opened the door and took in her stony face with a bit of bemusement. "Can I…help you?"

"Tasha wants to borrow Christy for the day, for training. We're gonna go the SHIELD gym." Clint supplied helpfully. "You can come if you wanna."

Still trying to puzzle out Natasha's mood, Steve nodded. "You guys come in for a sec. Christy kinda just woke up."

Clint smiled in mock-nostalgia. "Oh, sleeping in! That blessed activity I once partook in…before I got saddled with a partner who rises with the dawn."

Natasha glared at him, but the worry around her eyes softened.

Christy was sitting at the table, drinking a mug of tea and eating breakfast. "Hi Aunt Tasha, hi Uncle Clint. We gonna go sparing?"

Natasha nodded. "I thought I'd take you to the SHIELD gym. They've got everything."

Christy looked thoughtful. "Uncle Clint? Can you teach me how to shoot a bow and arrow?"

Clint looked a bit surprised, but nodded. "Sure, kid. Any particular reason, or…"

"I wanna be like Robin Hood!"

Steve laughed. "We've been watching this TV series from the…1950's, I think. Peggy told me about it and they have episodes online. It's called _The Adventures of Robin Hood_."

Clint nodded. "Ah. Makes sense. Any…chance I could see this show? I always liked those stories, as a kid."

"Yeah, sure. Like I said, it's online." Steve leaned over to Christy. "I'm gonna get changed, baby. Finish that and then, get dressed, okay?"

"Okay." Christy said, before taking a huge slurp of tea. "I'll be fast."

Steve grinned. "Don't choke."

As Steve disappeared into his room, Christy glanced at Natasha, and then frowned. "Why are you so mad, Aunt Tasha?"

Natasha looked startled. "I…I'm not mad at you, kid."

"But you're mad. And you keep staring at the door like someone's gonna bust it down."

Clint sighed. "You know she's not happy that you-know-who is in the Tower."

"Voldemort?"

Natasha managed to crack a smile and Clint nearly lost it at the mental picture of a nose-less Loki.

"Ha-ha, hilarious, kid." Natasha said. "No, you know who I mean."

Christy nodded. "Loki."

Natasha grimaced at just the name, and Clint sighed again. Even _he_ was handling this whole mess better than Natasha, and that was saying something! "Finish up and get dressed, kid."

* * *

The ride to the underground SHIELD facility was not a long one and what could have been a dour ride was stopped the minute Christy began a chant that sounded suspiciously like 'secret SHIELD base' under her breath.

Clint had made Natasha sit in the back with Christy and soon, the ex-assassin was engrossed in telling the girl all the new things she could practice in the SHIELD gym.

"They actually have a trampoline. You can get better at some of your flips."

Christy nodded. "Okay, but I _still_ don't see what gymnastics has to do with fighting."

Natasha sighed. "Remind me to show you some battle footage. It really is important in a fight."

In the driver's seat, Clint leaned over and said quietly, to Steve, "This'll be good for her. She needs a day out of the Tower."

"I noticed." Steve said drily. "Look, I know this was completely unexpected and all; and I was stupid to try and have a team dinner, but…I mean, she barely even sees the guy half the time."

"I know, I know. But it's Tasha. She's still learning how to forgive _herself_ , let alone a guy that's wronged her…and wronged people she cares about."

Steve winced a bit. "How you holdin' up?"

Clint shrugged. "Better than I expected. A few nightmares, no major increase from before. Like you said, if I don't wanna see the guy, I don't have to. Besides…I made up my mind not to spend the whole time angry. It takes a lot of energy to be angry. I don't like him or anything, but…if he's trying for redemption, he can be my guest."

At the base, Clint parked the car in the underground parking garage, and then the four made their way into the facility. After flashing ID to the guards at the door, they passed without any trouble.

"Is it okay if I take Christy for a bit?" Natasha asked Steve.

Steve nodded, and checked his watch. "Look, she's gonna get hungry eventually. They got a cafeteria in this place?"

"Yeah, they do." Clint said. "Wanna meet up there at…two?"

Steve looked at Christy. "You good to not eat for three hours?"

Christy held up her backpack. "I brought a snack."

"Good for you. Okay, yeah, two o'clock then."

"But, but I wanna shoot a bow and arrow!"

Natasha looked at Clint. "You headed for target practice?"

Clint held up his bow. "Where else?"

"Okay, I'll bring her down after a while."

* * *

The minute Christy saw the room Natasha had been talking about in the car, all thoughts of shooting went out of her head.

"It's a _trampoline_! And it's _huge!_ "

Natasha grinned. "Glad you like it. Now, let's practice."

They worked on airborne flips, something they hadn't been able to try in the Tower gym. Most of Christy's first attempts ended with her falling on her back, but the trampoline was safely springy, meaning that falling was nearly as much fun as flipping.

"Can I try flipping _without_ the trampoline?" Christy asked, after successfully managing two flips in a row.

"Maybe next time…you still need to practice some more."

"Aww!"

"Hey, you flip and break your neck, and your dad will kill me. Let's do a couple more good flips and some rolls on the floor, and then I'll take you to find Clint."

"Okay!"

As they finished practice, two people, a man and a woman, came sauntering into the practice room.

The man looked over and recognized Natasha. "Romanoff."

Natasha tipped her head in acknowledgement. "Ward. I didn't know Coulson was back. Last I heard, you guys were in Europe."

Ward nodded. "Well, we're back for a bit. Figured we'd get some training in, plus Skye hadn't seen everything here yet."

"Yup, I'm the newbie." said the woman, grinning. "And who're you, kid?"

Christy looked up, feeling a bit wary. These people seemed nice enough, and they apparently worked with Uncle Phil, but… "I'm Christy."

"I borrowed her for the day." Natasha added.

"Never really pegged you for a kid person, Romanoff." Ward said.

Natasha shrugged. "There's a lot you don't know about me."

Looking slightly weirded out at the cryptic statement, Ward nodded. "Well, good to see you. We'd better get moving, Skye." As the man started to walk away, Skye turned back to Christy.

"Don't mind him, he can be kinda grumpy. But he's really a softy."

Christy nodded. "Like Uncle Tony…oops!"

Skye narrowed her eyes. "'Tony'? As in, Tony _Stark_?" her voice lowered. "Who exactly are you, kid?"

Natasha sighed. "You've been around Coulson enough. Who's his biggest obsession?"

Skye frowned. "Captain America, right?" And then she got it. "Oh!"

"But it's a secret." Christy said firmly.

"Well, I'm a SHIELD agent now, apparently. Keeping secrets is my job. Nice to meet you kid."

Skye walked off to join Ward. Natasha patted Christy's shoulder.

"C'mon. Let's find the Hawk-man."

* * *

Clint had just finished a round of shooting when Natasha brought Christy in. "She's yours, Barton!"

He smiled. "Great. Let's get you a bow, kid. You takin' off, Tasha?"

Natasha nodded. "I'll meet you at two."

"Alright."

Christy looked around the room. "Uncle Clint? I don't see any bows. Just yours."

"That's because most people don't use them anymore. Mostly just me. But I, ah, took the liberty of getting you this."

From a hidden corner, Clint produced a beautiful bow and quiver of arrows, perfectly sized for a child.

Christy's eyes shot wide. "Thank you! It's awesome!"

"Glad you like it…we'll call it an early birthday present, alright? Now, let's go through the basics. You're not gonna be able to shoot a bulls-eye straight off…"

Clint walked Christy through the steps of how to hold the bow, how to notch the arrows correctly, and how to aim.

"Now, you don't wanna aim exactly where you want it to go, aim a little above."

Christy's first shot did actually manage to hit the target—but only just. Her next few shots went over. She started to look frustrated.

"Hey, it's alright. We'll keep going. Besides, nobody gets perfect overnight."

"But _you're_ good…"

"Because I _practiced. A lot_. Now, c'mon, even Robin Hood had to practice. Let's try again."

By the time they'd shot through all of Christy's arrows, at least four of them had hit the target, with one even piercing the second ring out.

The next round went a bit better, now that Christy understood the mechanics of shooting. There were still no bulls-eyes, obviously, but she definitely had talent.

"Did you see I almost hit the middle, Uncle Clint?!"

"Yeah, you were really close. You did good. Here, get all the arrows and put them back in your quiver."

As Christy picked up her arrows, she asked, "Uncle Clint? Are you mad that Loki's in the Tower, like Aunt Tasha?"

Clint sighed. "I'm…not happy about it. You know he messed with my head, made me do bad things."

Christy nodded. "But you're not mad like Aunt Tasha."

"It takes a lot of energy to hate people, Christy. Energy that I could use for other things."

"Hating people takes energy?"

"Yup, it does. Have you ever been so mad, you wanted to punch someone?"

"Yeah, Tyler Morrigan."

Clint grinned at the mention of Christy's 'arch-nemesis' from school. "Imagine feeling like that, all the time. It gets exhausting."

"Oh…yeah, I guess it would. Besides, it's better to forgive people, right?"

"Very right. But it's also hard, sometimes."

Christy shrugged. "I think most good things are hard. Like practicing, or doing homework, or being nice to mean people. But they're still good things."

As they left the room to meet up with Steve and Natasha, Clint let Christy's words roll through his head.

So alright, maybe having Loki in the Tower wasn't the greatest thing ever. So maybe it was downright terrifying to him in some moments.

But maybe this was another one of those 'good hard things' that really were pretty prevalent in life.

Or, maybe everything would go horribly wrong.

But no matter what, they would walk through this thing together.

That was just part of being a team. Or a family.

Or both.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed this little snapshot of Avenger-life.**

 **REVIEW! Or favorite, or follow. But mostly review, this story needs love!  
**

 **Next chapter for "I Dream Things..." should be up soon. As soon as I have energy, because Loki's head is, frankly, exhausting to get inside.**


	6. Anniversaries, Part One

**Author's Note: Just a quick one-shot that wouldn't get out of my brain. Hope you enjoy. As always, please leave a review or else favorite or follow.  
**

 **In honor of my great-uncle, who passed away on Friday.**

* * *

Chapter Six: Anniversaries, Part 1

 _Thump!_

Steve looked over. Christy was, for once, doing her homework at their kitchen table instead of in Tony's lab. She was kicking her leg out as she concentrated and had struck the chair by mistake.

Ordinarily, there would be no issue. But today…

Today was not normal, at least for him.

"Christy, could you please stop making so much noise?!" he burst out.

Christy's head whipped up, her blue eyes huge. "Sorry, Daddy." she whispered.

Steve immediately felt guilty. It wasn't Christy's fault that he was in such a funk.

"No, I'm sorry, baby. I shouldn't have snapped. Today's been…rough."

Christy nodded, slowly. Her hand hovered near the top of her homework paper, where she would write her name and the date.

"Dad, what's the date?"

"Ah…" Steve looked around vainly for a calendar that wasn't there.

"Maybe use your phone…?" Christy tried softly. Steve groaned.

"Oh, yeah, technology." He took his phone from his back pocket. "It's March 7, baby."

Christy wrote the date down carefully on her paper. As she did, she said.

"My daddy died today."

Steve's first thought, honestly, was, _No, I'm right here!_ And then he remembered.

Christy may have been his child now, but she hadn't always been.

"I don't really remember him, but I remember that we got a letter and mommy cried a lot. And it said that he was KIA, killed in action. March 7, 2008."

Steve sighed, loud and hard.

"Today's the anniversary of the day Bucky fell off the train."

Christy stared at him with an expression that read _you have got to be kidding me._ And then, she sighed too.

"Well, I think you get to cry more." she said.

"Oh, and why is that?"

Christy looked over in mild disbelief. "He was your _best friend_. I don't even really remember my first dad at all! I shouldn't miss him…" she slumped over. " _Why_ do I miss him?"

Steve picked her up, and the two of them sat down on the couch.

"I don't think you miss, _him_ , per se." Steve said quietly. "I think you're sad that you never really knew him."

"I wish I knew him! Mommy said I have his smile. I wish…"

"Do you know where he's buried?" Steve asked gently.

Christy nodded. "With mommy. I don't remember the name of the place…"

"That's fine, I can find out. Do you…would you want to go?"

"Not today…"

"No, no, not today. But maybe this weekend?"

"Okay…" Christy frowned, thinking. "Where's Bucky buried?"

Steve let out a choking, almost bitter laugh. "Nowhere, technically. They never found his body, you see. He's still officially listed as MIA, missing…"

"…in action. I know that one" Christy finished. In the back of her mind, a little voice whispered that usually, in the movies, no body found meant a person was still alive. She pushed the voice away.

"But does he have a grave?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah, he's got a grave, a memorial of sorts. I haven't…haven't been since I woke up."

Christy grabbed his hand. "We should go. On Sunday."

"Not Saturday, huh?"

"No, Sunday. 'Cause Sunday is a special day and my first dad and Bucky were special people."

Steve managed a smile. "Alright, Sunday it is."

* * *

From Christy's records, Steve was able to find out where her parents were buried. As promised, they rode his motorcycle out to the cemetery that Sunday. Christy was clutching some flowers to leave on her father's grave.

They found the grave, after a bit of searching. Christy stood in front of it, biting her lip.

"Do you want a minute to yourself, baby?" Steve asked softly. Christy nodded.

Steve backed up a bit, to give Christy some space.

Christy stared at the name on the gravestone.

 _1_ _st_ _Lieutenant Scott James Allen. 1978-2008. Beloved husband and father. "Someday We'll Understand."_

"Hi, Dad." she said. "It's me, Christy. I guess I'm bigger. I'm okay, y'know. I got adopted by Captain America! He's a good daddy…but I bet you were, too. I bet you were a lot of things…and I wish I knew…"

She knelt down and traced the inscription. "Maybe someday, I'll understand. I hope you can see me, you and mommy. Don't worry about me, I'll be okay. Mom…mom said I have your smile. I'll try to smile a lot, so part of you's still here. I…I love you Dad."

She gently placed the flowers she'd picked out in front of the grave—blue roses. Daddy said they were the flowers that seemed the most like her and she wanted to give her first dad a little piece of herself.

Steve came up behind Christy and placed his hand on her shoulder. Then, all at once, he came to attention and gave the grave a very careful salute.

"I'll take good care of her, Lieutenant." he whispered. "Captain's honor."

* * *

Bucky's 'grave' was in another cemetery, further across town. After more searching, they found it, already covered in flowers and…an odd-looking teddy bear.

Steve knelt down, a bittersweet smile on his face. "Bucky bears. They used to make 'em, during the war."

"Can I have one?" Christy asked, fingering the bear gently.

"Maybe, if I can find one, baby."

Christy nodded. "I'll give you a minute. More than a minute." She walked over and sat in the shade of a tree several feet away.

 _Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. 1917-1944._

The name and date swam before his eyes.

"Bucky…" he whispered. "Do you have any idea how much I miss you? This world is crazy, Buck. I have a team again. I've got a _kid_! You'd laugh, if you were here. And you'd love her. Her name's Christy and she's about the only reason I'm not runnin' around low as dirt…"

He sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't grab your hand, Bucky. I'm _so_ sorry. I wish I'd reacted faster. I wish…"

 _I wish you were here, next to me. I wish you'd survived, somehow._

"Anyway…I'm doin' alright. I'm alive. I've got a job I could never have dreamed of, friends, even a family of sorts. But Bucky…I still miss you. And I always will, my friend. But rest in peace."

He stood up and gave one more careful salute. He could hear Bucky's voice, ringing in his head.

 _Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone!_

"I'll try not to, Buck. I'm hopin' you took all the stupid with you. And I'm pretty sure they throw stupid out in heaven."

He walked over to where Christy sat. "I'm ready to go, Christy."

Christy jumped up. "Can I…can I say somethin' first?"

"Sure, baby…"

She walked and stood in front of the grave. "Hi, I'm Christy. Steve's daughter. Dad says you would have spoiled me rotten. I…wish I could have met you. Dad says you were brave, that you took care of him."

She bent over the grave, almost conspiratorially. "Don't worry; I'll take good care of Dad. He'll be okay. Bye…bye, Uncle Bucky."

Steve wiped the tears out of his eyes. "C'mon, sweetheart. Let's go home."

They rode back to the Tower in silence, enjoying the feeling of being together, of being safe.

All things considered, it had been a good day.

* * *

 **Congratulations, you have been hit by the hammer of FORSHADOWING! (As my old English teacher used to say.) Because of course, we all know where Bucky really is...**

 **Cue me, sobbing in a corner. At least until I write my "Bucky gets better" fic.**

 **The "someday we'll understand" is written on the grave of one of my family members who died young, and I thought the quote fit for Christy's birth dad.**


	7. Eight Years Old

**Author's Note: Happy 4th of July to all my American readers! So, since today is America's birthday, I decided to post a birthday chapter for Christy. Hope you all enjoy. Thanks to everyone who's been keeping up with this story. I should be finishing up "I Dream Things..." soon, so this will be my primary story for a bit, until I get caught up to CATWS timeline-wise. Yes, I am going to take the ChristyVerse into WS and AoU timeline, but with my own twist (SPOILERS Bucky gets better SPOILERS).**

 **There's a small reference to Loki being in the Tower. If that confuses you, go read my other story "I Dream Things That Never Were (And Ask Why Not)." That should clear things up,**

 **Anyway, you all know the drill: read, review, favorite, follow! Thanks to you all!**

* * *

Chapter Seven: Eight Years Old

"I can't believe my birthday's on _Monday_." Christy complained one day at recess, about a week before said day.

"Why are you complaining? It's your birthday!" Tally shot back, almost scolding. "Who cares what day it is?"

"Okay, okay; you're right. But still, it means I gotta come to school on my birthday. That's annoying. But whatever. So…would you guys be able to sleep over on Friday, the Friday after my birthday?"

Sienna looked torn between ecstatic and worried. "A sleepover? At Stark Tower?"

"Avengers Tower." Christy corrected automatically. "And yeah, why not? It'll be fine. It's my house, too."

"Have you even _asked_ your dad?" Tally questioned.

"Well…no. But he'll say yes, I know he will. It's safe."

"But my parents don't know…" Sienna trailed off.

Christy frowned. It was true, very few people knew that she was Captain America's kid. Her dad had explained that it was safer that way. Tally's family only knew because Mr. Jackson worked for SHIELD as a tech worker.

"Maybe my dad could pick you up and drop you off." she suggested.

Sienna brightened. "My parents are always busy running our store; they'd probably like that."

Christy nodded. "Yeah, and my dad always does nice stuff like that anyway. So that's not suspicious. Hopefully."

Tally grinned. "This is gonna be the best birthday party ever. Can I get Iron Man's autograph, for Damian?" Tally's twelve-year-old brother was obsessed with Iron Man.

"Sure, I guess. We could maybe go swimming in the pool, too."

"But it's cold…" Sienna said.

"Oh…it's indoors."

"You have an _indoor pool_?!"

Christy felt a tiny twinge of embarrassment. She knew that she was privileged to live where she did, and it was awkward when her friends, especially Sienna (who she knew came from a not-so-well-off family), made a big deal about it.

So she used a coping trick she'd learned in the Tower—fight awkwardness with humor.

"No, my crazy uncle does. But we can borrow it for the night. Ask your parents if you can sleep over when you go home tonight."

* * *

"Dad?"

Steve looked up from his dinner at his daughter's earnest face. "Yes, baby?"

"So…my birthday's next week…"

He was prepared. Honestly, he'd been expecting this a lot sooner. "Yes? What would you like?"

"Uh…a sleepover, please."

Steve was momentarily thrown for a loop. "A sleep…oh! You want your friends to come over? That's fine. I meant, what present do you want?"

Christy frowned. "Well…I've already got a lot of presents lately, Daddy. I can't think of anything else I want."

Steve smiled. "Alright, I can just surprise you. But you want a party?"

"Yeah, on Friday, the one after my birthday. But you might have to pick up Sienna and drop her off, cause her parents don't know…"

"That's fine, but I will need to talk to them. On the phone or otherwise."

"Okay, I'll ask her for their number." she smiled. "This is gonna be the best birthday ever!"

Steve couldn't help but grin back.

* * *

Monday March 18 dawned bright, sunny, and not too bitter cold, as though even the weather knew whose birthday it was.

Christy woke up to the smell of bacon and chocolate.

 _Is it Saturday? 'Cause that's when Dad makes breakfast. But yesterday was Sunday, so…_

Suddenly, she remembered.

 _It's my birthday!_

She tore out of her pajamas, got dressed for school, threw a brush through her hair, and raced out to the kitchen.

Sitting on the kitchen table was a stack of chocolate-chip pancakes, doused liberally with whipped cream and covered in eight blue-and white candles.

"Happy birthday, Christy."

Christy shrieked and ran blindly up to her dad, squeezing him in a hug. "Thanks, Daddy!"

Steve ruffled her hair. "Well, you're easy. All you need is a good breakfast; you didn't even ask about your present."

Christy whirled back around to face the table. Sure enough, a wrapped package sat next to her plate.

"What is it?" she asked, as she started to tear off the wrapping paper.

"Be careful, it's a bit fragile." Steve said.

Christy finished taking off the paper and uncovered a brown teddy bear with a dark blue coat and black goggles.

"Is this a Bucky Bear, Daddy?" she asked, her voice trembling. She rocked the bear back and forth in her arms.

Steve nodded. "Straight from my time. I searched around online and found it."

"You should have it. He was your friend."

"Uh, actually, I may have…" Steve trailed off awkwardly.

"Did you buy one for yourself?"

Steve grinned sheepishly. "Yeah. That's not too strange, right?"

"Nuh-uh! He was your friend. Oh!" she dashed into her room and returned, carrying Stevie, her Captain AmeriBear. She sat the bears in front of her on her lap. "Stevie, this is…Jamie. Jamie, this is Stevie. You guys are gonna be best buddies forever."

Steve pressed his eyes shut. _I am not going to cry, I am not going to cry; you brought this on yourself, Rogers, so you are not going to cry…_

Christy sat the bears on the table and turned her attention back to her breakfast, giving Steve a moment to compose himself.

"Thanks for the present, Daddy." she said finally.

"No problem, baby. I'm…I'm glad you like it."

* * *

Friday rolled around fast. Both Sienna and Tally's parents had sent in a note saying that Steve could pick their children up from school, so Steve currently had three little girls and their bags crammed in the back of 'his' car.

(It was Tony's, technically, but he used it whenever he couldn't use his motorcycle, so Tony had more or less gifted it to him.)

He smiled as the girls chattered away in the back and let his mind drift back to his conversation with Natasha that morning.

 _"_ _Nat, please, you've gotta help me! And Christy loves you, anyway, so…"_

 _"_ _Christy loves everybody in this Tower, Steve. That's a terrible argument."_

 _"_ _You want me to ask_ _ **Tony**_ _to be around for an eight-year-old's birthday party? Barton's AWOL for the weekend, Bruce is working with Loki in the lab…that still sounds weird, by the way, and Thor is…Thor. You're my only hope!"_

 _Natasha sighed. "Alright, alright; I'll come. But you owe me, big time."_

 _"_ _Oh please; how much trouble could three second graders get up to?"_

When they arrived at the Tower, Sienna pressed her face up to the window.

"You really live here?" she asked.

"Uh-huh." Christy said.

"It's…big." Sienna whispered.

"Yeah, but so's my Dad. And we're with him."

Steve blinked back tears as he recalled a similar conversation with Christy on the day he'd brought her home.

 _Things change so much in five months…_

* * *

On their floor, Christy was a good little host and took her guests into her room, to put away their bags.

"So…what do you wanna do?" Christy asked.

Sienna shrugged, still a bit awed by the Tower, but Tally looked speculative. "Can I get Iron Man's autograph now?"

Christy bit her lip and thought. "Probably…" she tipped her head to the ceiling. "Jarvis?"

"Yes. Miss Rogers?"

Tally's eyes went wide and Sienna shrieked.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to explain about Jarvis!" Christy exclaimed. "He kinda runs the Tower. He's a robot…computer program…something."

Tally looked around the room and frowned. "Any more surprises?" she asked sarcastically.

Christy looked sheepish. "No, I don't think so. Sorry!"

"Were you meaning to ask me something, Miss Rogers?" the AI persisted.

"Is Uncle Tony working on anything important, top secret, or life-threatening?"

"I do not believe so..."

"Okay. Thanks, Jarvis." Christy turned to Tally. "So, we can go up, if you want." she grinned a bit. "Welcome to my world."

"Your world is _weird_." Tally said fervently. Sienna nodded in agreement.

Christy shrugged. "Blame my family, not me!"

They left Christy's room, only to find another accidental surprise.

Natasha was standing in the living room, talking with Steve.

"Hi, Aunt Tasha!" Christy said, giving her aunt a hug. "Why are you here?"

Natasha laughed. "Happy birthday, kid. I'm here to give your dad back-up tonight. Who're your friends?"

"Oh, right! This is Tally and that's Sienna. This is my Aunt Natasha."

"You mean the Black Widow." Tally clarified. Christy shrugged.

"Well, yeah, but she's not working right now."

"Your world _is_ weird." Sienna echoed.

Natasha and Steve appeared to be very close to losing it. "Manners, girls." Steve said, his voice shaking with suppressed laughter.

Tally stuck out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Miss Romanoff. My dad says you're crazy."

Only years of spy training allowed Natasha to keep a straight face. "And who's your dad, sweetheart?"

"His name's Thomas Jackson. He works for SHIELD and does something with computers."

"Ah, okay."

Sienna offered her hand shyly. "Nice to meet you." she practically whispered.

Natasha gently shook her hand and whispered something back in rapid Spanish. Sienna smiled.

"What, what did you say?" Christy cried.

"That's for us to know and you to learn later, kid." Natasha replied.

"Can we go get the autograph now?" Tally asked Christy.

Christy nodded. "Her brother's obsessed with Iron Man." she explained, for Steve and Natasha's benefit. "She wanted an autograph for him."

As the three girls trooped into the elevator, Steve asked Natasha, "So, what did you say to Sienna?"

Natasha smirked. "I told her that I may be a spider but I don't bite."

Steve laughed.

* * *

Later that night, after managing to wrangle an autograph out of Tony and swimming in the indoor pool, the three girls plus Steve and Natasha were eating pizza for dinner.

"What movie do you guys wanna watch?" Christy asked.

Sienna shrugged. "It's your birthday."

"I know, but I wanna know what you guys like."

"Disney works." Tally offered. "Can we watch Aladdin?"

Christy nodded enthusiastically. "I love that movie! Is that okay, Sienna?"

Sienna nodded. "I like it."

"Aladdin? I don't think I've seen that one." Steve muttered to Natasha.

"Oh, you should like it. Especially the hero."

Steve did end up liking it. More to the point, the three girls did. The whole apartment was soon filled with the sound of three girls belting out "A Whole New World" with varying degrees of on-key.

"Jafar's a jerk." Tally said, as the credits rolled. "I'm glad he got stuck in the lamp."

"I like Jasmine." said Sienna. "She wasn't afraid to stand up for Aladdin."

"Yeah, I like Jasmine, too." Christy said. "But I like Aladdin better. He gave his bread to those kids even though he was hungry. And he saved them from that stupid prince." she frowned. "Dad, did you ever do that?"

"Do what, baby?"

"Give some of your food to somebody hungrier than you. 'Cause I know you were kinda poor."

Steve shook his head. "Nothing so heroic as in the movie, although I did give food to kids on the street a time or two. Bucky would always pitch a fit and say I couldn't afford to be giving food away."

"Why?" Tally asked. "Because food was expensive?"

"That, and because I…used to be a lot smaller."

Sienna and Tally inched closer. Christy, though she'd heard this story a hundred times before, appeared to be listening just as intently.

"Alright, I'll finish the story if you guys eat the cake."

Christy looked around wildly. "There's cake?"

"And what would a party be without cake? Of course there is!"

* * *

Two hours later, all three girls were fast asleep, saturated with cake and Steve Rogers' origin story.

"I still don't see what you needed me for." Natasha said, as she helped Steve straighten up the living room and kitchen.

"Well, maybe I didn't need you, but I did want someone for back-up. And you had fun, admit it."

Natasha just smiled. "They're good kids."

"That they are."

"Fearless and innocent and…mostly normal."

"Mostly." Steve glanced in the direction of his daughter's bedroom and lifted his hand as though toasting. "Happy birthday to my one-of-a-kind eight-year-old. May this year be better than the last."

Natasha nodded. "Now that, I'll drink to."


	8. How Steve Wound Up In DC

**Author's Note: This starts the first part of my "how we got through the events of Winter Soldier" one-shots. This one in particular came about because of a plot hole created by my universe; mainly, where's Christy and who's she staying with while Steve is in D.C. during Winter Soldier? He has his own apartment, so he's clearly been there a while...anyway, this is to explain that part of my universe. Hope you enjoy this little snapshot.**

 **I re-watched CAT-WS tonight for the first time in a while...oh my. I legitimately was about to jump through the screen and throttle Alexander Pierce on multiple occasions. He will get plenty of postmortem hate in my next story, never fear (jerkjerkjerkjerkityjerkface that he his...). Ahem... ;)**

 **Anyway, as always...REVIEW, FAVORITE, FOLLOW...ENJOY! Thanks!**

* * *

Chapter Eight: How Steve Wound Up In D.C.

"Captain, all I'm asking is that you think about it. Give the idea a chance."

Steve sighed. "I can't just leave Christy alone."

"I'm not asking you to leave her _alone_ …look, Barton's gonna stay in New York, along with Stark and Banner. Maybe…"

"She wouldn't come with me." Steve said firmly. "I couldn't do that, have her in a strange city, strange school, me gone half the time…no, no way. Not happening."

Fury let out a long breath. "You'd need to go through some training first, just to get you back in the swing of things. No reason that can't happen here. And you could come back as much as possible."

"You really want me for this, don't you, sir?"

"To put it bluntly, yes. You're currently the only super soldier we got. It'd be nice to have you back in the field. And don't say you wouldn't enjoy the change in pace."

Steve gave a half smile and for a moment, Fury caught a glimpse of Steve Rogers, the boy from Brooklyn who just didn't like bullies. "I wouldn't exactly _enjoy_ it. But I wouldn't mind it either. I'll get back to you." he added, as he stood up to leave.

"Like I said, just think about it."

* * *

"Christy? We need to talk."

Christy could feel her heart plummeting down into her stomach. "Did somebody die?"

Steve was momentarily startled into incoherency. "Wait, _what_? No, baby, nobody's…why would you even…" he sighed. "Never mind. No, no one is dead. It's about something else."

He sat down on the couch and motioned for Christy to sit next to him. She did, and then grabbed his hand like a drowning man grabs a life preserver.

"Now, I went in to talk with Director Fury a few days ago, and he had a…very _interesting_ offer for me. He was wondering if I…wanted to start going on missions, with SHIELD."

Christy looked slightly less distressed. "Like Aunt Tasha and Uncle Clint do?"

"Yeah, exactly like that. He wants me to lead a STRIKE team, a special ops group. Kinda like half-spies, half-soldiers. I'd actually be working with Natasha a lot. But Clint is staying in New York, and so would we…for awhile."

Christy moaned. "I don't like the sound of that!"

"SHIELD is making a new headquarters…in Washington D.C. They're sending a lot of people there."

"D.C.?!" Christy practically wrapped her entire body around his arm. "We're moving to D.C.? But what about Tally and my school and the Tower, and…"

Steve gently put a finger on her lips. "That's why I wanted you to stay here, in New York. In the Tower."

"But, but I wanna stay with you!"

"And I want you to stay with me, but this city's your home! You know people here. And if I have to go on missions, I'd rather leave you here, where I know there are tons of people to take care of you than in a strange city where I don't know…y'know?"

Christy felt like she was splitting in two. The rational part of her brain was saying that her dad made sense, that it would be better if she stayed in the Tower.

The larger, emotional part of her brain was screaming that her daddy was leaving her.

"But you can't leave me! You can't! I'll be alone again and nobody will take care of me, and…"

"Christy!" Steve pulled her into a hug. "I'm not going to let you be alone! I'm not leaving tomorrow! I still have several months of training to do. And even then, I would come back home when I wasn't needed in D.C…." he rubbed a hand through his hair.

"Look. Fury said that the training would take at least a few months, and he's willing to give me until August to start. Let's try this for…half a year. If it works out, it works out. If it doesn't, I either tell Fury no more missions, or base me out of New York. Will that work?"

Christy sniffled. "You're not gonna start till summer's over."

"Pretty much, baby."

"O-okay. Okay. I'll be okay. Who…who am I gonna stay with when you leave?"

"Well, Natasha's coming with me, otherwise I would say her. Now, you have your pick between Bruce, Tony and Pepper, or Clint. Now, I know who I would pick, but…"

Christy whispered one of the names. Steve smiled.

"Yeah, that's who I would pick, too. Would you really be okay with him?"

"Yes. He…he's almost like you. Almost like a daddy, not just an uncle. I would feel safe with him."

* * *

"Steve, are you kidding me?!"

Clint Barton was currently feeling like he'd been sucker-punched in the gut.

"Clint, with Natasha in for this, there's no one else I'd trust more. And you were the first person Christy picked! She _trusts_ you, feels _safe_ with you! She…she said you were almost more like a dad than an uncle."

Steve had no idea how close to home that statement hit.

He wasn't even weighing the idea of being responsible for Christy or not, he'd do that in a heartbeat.

No, he was weighing the idea of whether to let Steve in on the secret or not.

Natasha had told him multiple times that he should _at least_ tell Steve, if not the whole team. It was all very well and good to keep it under wraps when they were all running solo, but ever since Christy's adoption, there was no good reason _not_ to tell. After all, he now wasn't the only Avenger with a family.

No, there was no good reason…none but the sinking feeling in his gut that he should keep his family as far from his work as possible.

And Clint _trusted_ his gut. His gut had told him to spare Natasha when his orders had been different, after all.

Things had been… _strange_ with SHIELD, ever since the Battle of Manhattan. There seemed to be more secrecy and more morally gray projects than normal. Clint wasn't going to pretend he didn't have blood on his hands. But even Project Insight (which he technically wasn't supposed to know about…) seemed a bit…much.

There was something different. And, call him paranoid, but he wasn't about to bring his family anywhere near what could be a ticking time bomb.

"I know you like to go AWOL sometimes, and I'm not gonna say you can't. You could always let her spend a week with Tony or Bruce…"

"What about that friend of hers, from the center?" Clint asked suddenly. "Can't she stay there?"

"She could stay with the Jackson's for short periods, but I would feel more comfortable if she was with you on a permanent basis. Actually, Thomas, uh, Tally's dad, works for SHIELD as well and he's transferring out to D.C. I talked to him yesterday."

"So they're in the same boat." Clint muttered.

"Look, Clint, I'm just saying, with Natasha coming to D.C., there is no one I'd rather trust Christy with than you. Just, would you please…?"

"I'll do it."

Steve looked so incredibly relieved, Clint almost felt guilty for not saying yes immediately.

"Really? Thank you! Thank you, so much, you have no idea…"

"Hey, I get it." Clint gripped Steve's shoulder slightly. "You're just tryin' to take care of your kid."

"We'll probably need to take care of the paperwork, have you listed as next-of-kin…"

"Whoa, soldier, slow down!" Clint grinned. "You're not leaving tonight. We'll take care of that a little closer to departure. Until then, just enjoy your time with your girl."

Steve nodded, conceding to Clint's point. "You might wanna start hanging around a bit, getting a feel for how she is on a day-to-day basis, getting her used to being with you. That way it won't be so hard when…" He shook his head, and then lowered it.

" _God…_ I hope I'm doing the right thing. I really hope I am."

"Hey, all you can do is your best." Clint said reassuringly. "You love her. You're not abandoning her. You've got a life to live, too."

He didn't mention that that was the speech he had to give _himself_ in the mirror from time to time, when the guilt of being away ate at him too much.

"I…I know you're right. I know. I just…I hope I'm doing the right thing. But with you taking care of her, it'll be one less thing I have to worry about having done right."

"No one said this was gonna be easy, Steve."

"No…they didn't."

"And you'll never know if it'll work out till you try."

Steve sighed. "Yeah, I know."

Clint clapped him on the shoulder again. "C'mon, let's go to your floor. You can have a beer, and I can get started on bonding with your daughter."

"You know alcohol does nothing for me…"

"Then _I'll_ have a beer."

"I never said I wouldn't drink, just that it doesn't affect me!"

As the two got in the elevator, Steve felt the heavy weight he'd carried around the past few days begin to lift.

Maybe this whole thing would work out. Maybe it wouldn't.

But at least his daughter would be safe.

Clint wasn't quite Bucky…but he was darn near close.

* * *

 **Since Clint, Bruce, and Tony are all out of the picture during Winter Soldier, I figured Christy would be with one of them. And Clint seemed the most...stable. (And not a target of Zola's algorithm). Anyway, another update should be this week.  
**

 **Reviews are wonderful things...**


	9. Anniversaries, Part Two

**Author's Note: Quick little one shot that wouldn't leave my brain. Will probably make you cry. Sorry/Not sorry. But I hope you enjoy.**

 **Reviews are wonderful things...so are favorites and follows. Thanks to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Nine: Anniversaries, Part Two

Christy woke up with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was _wrong_.

Problem was, she couldn't remember what.

 _Dad's not leaving for months, I don't have school, nobody died…_

And then, her heart clenched. She lunged for her cell phone next to her bed.

Sure enough, her worst suspicions were confirmed.

 _June 21…the day that mommy…_

She ran blindly out of her room.

 _Dad, Dad, Dad, I need Dad…_

* * *

Steve was sitting on the sofa drawing when Christy came bursting out of her room like the world was ending.

"Christy? What's wrong?"

She crashed into him, almost hyperventilating.

"Baby, use words. What's going on?"

Finally, she managed to choke out, "Mommy…"

Steve frowned. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Christy shook her head wildly. "Today's the anniver'sry…" was all he could make out.

"Oh… _oh._ " Steve pulled her over onto his lap. "Hey, it's gonna be fine."

"I want my mom!" Christy suddenly errupted out of his arms and collapsed in a heap on the floor, letting out the worst sound Steve had ever heard in his life.

It wasn't quite a sob and it wasn't quite a scream. But if he had to guess, it was probably the sound his heart had made when Bucky went tumbling into that icy abyss.

Pure grief and pain; the sound of ultimate suffering.

All his developed instincts screamed at him to grab Christy off the floor, to comfort her. But he waited until she had calmed back down to just crying before picking her up and settling back down on the couch.

They stayed that way for a long time.

He sang every calming song he could think of; hymns, lullabies, random songs he'd heard on the radio.

When Christy's cries had died down enough, he said:

"Did you want to do anything special today?"

She looked up at him, her eyes blood-red. "Wanna…go see her grave…" her face crumpled up at the word.

"That's fine, we can go later." Steve said quickly. "Do you want to go wash your face and clean up?"

Christy nodded.

"Then go do that. I'll be right out here."

As Christy got up and went back into her room, a knock suddenly sounded on the door.

Steve groaned; he'd completely forgot that he had a training session scheduled for today.

 _Well_ _ **that's**_ _not happening…_

He opened the door to find Natasha. "Hey, are you ready…?"

"Training's off for today." Steve said bluntly.

Natasha took in his weary-looking face. "What happened?"

"Today's the anniversary of the day Christy's mom passed away."

Natasha's face morphed into pity as she mumbled something in Russian. "I'm so sorry."

Steve sighed. "I didn't know her, of course, but she must've been…" he trailed off. "She must've been pretty great, to basically bring up Christy single-handed."

Natasha nodded. "How's Christy doing?"

"Not amazing. For a minute, I thought…I thought I might need Bruce."

"You know he's not that kind of a doctor."

Steve almost grinned. "I know, but he does a pretty good job of acting like it."

"Kind of ironic, given his alter-ego."

Christy came out of her room. As soon as she saw Natasha, she ran over at light speed.

"Hey, kid—oof!" Suddenly, Natasha was filled with an armful of eight year-old. "Hello, there."

Christy let out what could have passed for a muffled hello.

"How's about we take this over to the couch. You know I can't just lift you up like your dad; some of us don't have super-soldier serum to help us out."

Steve rolled his eyes.

"Are you hungry, baby?" he asked.

"No, not really." Christy mumbled.

"Could you eat fruit or something? You should eat, it's kinda late." Steve had spent enough of his life sick to know that eating was important, even if one didn't feel like it.

"Do we still have watermelon?"

"Yeah, we do. Would you eat some of that?"

Christy nodded.

"Okay, I'll get you some."

As Steve went into the kitchen, Natasha said quietly, "So, I understand today's an important day."

Christy's eyes teared back up immediately.

"So, tell me about your mom. What do you remember? 'Cause memories…they're important."

Christy frowned. This was something new, something to think about. "She was really pretty. She had really long blonde hair, like me, except she had to cut it off for chemo. And she was always trying to make everything okay, even when it wasn't. When I got home from school, she always wanted to know what happened, even when she was sick. She liked reading a lot, history novels and stuff. And we would talk about everything."

She sniffed. "She used to say I sung better than anyone in Hollywood and she called me her little mermaid, like Ariel in the Disney movie. And if I close my eyes really tight, I can still hear her saying it…"

By this time, Steve was back with watermelon. "Here, eat up sweetheart."

Christy grabbed a piece and chewed it, slowly. "One time, we went to Coney Island and rode the Cyclone. It was so bumpy, and I thought I was gonna fall off! Mommy screamed really loud…"

Steve grinned. "Did you throw up?"

Christy looked affronted. "No! Only babies and sick people throw up on roller coasters!"

"And me, apparently." Steve muttered.

"You threw up on the Cyclone?"

"I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours."

Natasha smirked. "Now this, I've gotta hear."

"It was before the serum!" Steve clarified.

"Sure, sure, whatever you say."

* * *

Natasha stayed around most of that day, for which Steve was eternally grateful. After her near-breakdown that morning, Christy seemed to rally a bit, enough to hold onto him on the motorcycle as the two of them rode over to the cemetery.

They found her mom's grave easily enough. It was a simple headstone with just a few words of inscription.

 _Elisabeth Marie Allen. 1980-2012. Beloved Mother._

Christy had a single daisy clutched in her hand like a lifeline. It had been her mom's favorite flower.

"You want a minute?" Steve asked softly.

Christy nodded.

"Okay, I'll be right over here." He walked a short distance to a nearby tree.

Christy took a deep breath and looked at the grave.

"Hi, mommy."

She took another breath.

"I miss you. This is for you. 'Cause you always said I sang better than anybody in Hollywood."

One more breath. Christy closed her eyes tight and started to sing:

 _"_ _Well you only need the light when it's burning low_

 _Only miss the sun when it starts to snow_

 _Only know you love her when you let her go_

 _Only know you've been high when you're feeling low_

 _Only hate the road when you're missin' home_

 _Only know you love her when you let her go_

 _And you let her go…"_

Her voice cracked several times, but Christy still felt like it was the best thing she'd ever sung in her life.

"I love you, mommy. And I'm really okay most of the time. But sometimes I'll wake up and miss you. Daddy does good, but he's not you. And he doesn't try to be. But he still does good. Really good. And I got a lot of uncles and aunts…mostly uncles. It's kinda crazy where I live. But I'm safe. You know that, 'cause I bet you can see me. I'm…I'm gonna make you proud. Promise."

She set the flower down, blew a kiss at the headstone, and turned around. "I'm ready, Daddy."

Steve walked back over to the grave. He stared at the words, feeling grief and anger at the thought of a life cut so tragically short.

"You did a fine job, ma'am." he whispered. "She's beautiful. I…I promise not to muck it up too much. She still sings better than anyone in Hollywood. She's gonna be someone great, so don't you worry. I'll…try my very best. She'll be safe with me."

* * *

That night, in the privacy of her room, Christy pulled out a letter she'd completely forgotten about, until today.

Her mom had written it shortly before she died, and told her not to open it until it had been more than a year.

Christy gently tore open the envelope and brought out the letter. Trembling, she read the page.

 _To Christy, my little mermaid, my angel:_

 _Well, sweetheart, it's been a year. I'm sure that it's felt like a very long time. I know you probably still miss me. I know you probably still cry at night._

 _I've prayed and prayed that whoever adopts you (for you_ _ **will**_ _be adopted) will see you for the treasure that you are, that they will nurture and help you grow into a young lady who can face the world with confidence. I hope that's what has happened._

 _I don't want you to miss me too much, Christy. I don't want you to think about what could have happened so much that you miss what is happening right now._

 _I am sad that I won't get to see you grow up, mature into the beautiful woman I know you will become. Always remember to be brave and kind, and to look for the good in others. If you do that, it will always set you apart._

 _I love you, my darling girl. I would tell you to be good, but I know you will be. But know that you are always loved and let that be your anchor._

 _Love always,_

 _Mommy._

Christy took a deep breath, gave the letter a kiss, and put it away.

She would always miss her mom; that was a fact.

But her mom had wanted her to live. And so she would.

* * *

 **And...cue sobbing. The song Christy sings is the chorus of "Let Her Go" by Passenger. I know the song's technically about a romantic relationship, but to me, it always seemed to fit any situation where loss is involved.**

 **Hope you enjoyed. I should update again soon. Post-WS story is coming!**


	10. I Will Always Return

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! This is the last one-shot for a bit, and really the prequel for my next story. It was actually one of the first things I wrote for this universe, even before We Can Be Found.**

 **Timeline issues: When I first wrote this, I had forgotten that CA-TWS came out in April of 2014, not May. I've normally been placing the events of my universe in the months that the movies they occurred in came out. But, one of the major plot points of my next story hinges on it being summer and Christy being out of school. New York public schools also don't end for the year until late June (another fact I was unaware of). Sooo...I bumped the events of Winter Soldier up to May of 2014 and am pretending that public schools in New York let out about a week or so earlier than in real life (in case anyone cared). Alright?**

 **Anyway, as always: REVIEW, FAVORITE, FOLLOW. (And ENJOY). Thanks for all the reviews on last chapter!**

* * *

Chapter Ten: I Will Always Return

Every day, Christy woke up to a nightmare, to the knowledge that everything in her world had completely and irrevocably gone wrong.

Admittedly, she should have seen the signs. Her dad had been calling her fairly regularly since he'd been in D.C. When he didn't call and only texted, it was a signal that things were not going well.

And then, there came the news.

Fury was dead.

The news had sent shock-waves through the SHIELD headquarters in New York. When Captain America and the Black Widow were declared 'missing,' Clint pulled Christy out of school.

"I promised Steve I'd keep you safe." he explained. "After all this, I don't want you out of the Tower until we find out what the heck's going on."

The only exception was that she was allowed to go to Tally's house. Tally's dad was in D.C. and from what he'd told his family, things were going crazy.

The day Clint pulled her out of school, Tony called to explain that she'd come down with a 'nasty flu bug' and would be out for the next week, and asked if would it be possible to get all of her missed work. Pepper had picked it up and set it on her desk, where it remained, a sad, untouched heap of books and paper.

It was nearing the end of the school year anyway, so it wasn't like there was much work.

Everyone tried to comfort her. Tony let her sit in his lab and watch him work on "top secret experiments—don't tell Aunt Pepper, okay?" Bruce rolled his eyes, but he patted her head and Christy had more than once felt his careful, scrutinizing gaze resting on her, watching for any signs of emotional breakdown. Clint took her down to the SHIELD target range and let her fire arrow after arrow at various targets. Christy was sure that he was as upset as she was.

Pepper was extremely good with distractions. Christy lost count of how many hours they sat snuggled on the couch watching Disney movie after Disney movie.

But Christy's heart felt as dead as a block of ice and her eyes were constantly red from crying. Her nightmares came back; making her night-time forays into someone else's room a regular occurrence once again. With Steve gone, it was Clint who would now wake up to the feel of a small body plopping next to him in bed.

She took to watching old war footage of her dad and asking Clint about Natasha's old missions, praying that somehow, Captain America and the Black Widow would once more come out on top.

Steve would send her texts, just basic things like 'We're still alive' or 'I love you.' But even those became few and far between.

"It's in case the phone connection gets compromised." Clint reassured her. "He wants to keep you safe."

Finally, the day came. Clint's cell phone rang; it was Natasha. He ran into his room, where Christy could hear loud shouting and cursing and "why didn't you call me!"

She pressed her ear to the outside door.

After a few minutes, she heard him cry out, "The Winter Soldier?! What!"

Another few minutes later, he sighed. "Okay, Tasha. I'll be on standby. When will Steve be back?"

There was silence. Christy could hear Natasha's voice, but couldn't make out anything.

"Okay. Will you call back later? Yeah, yeah, I understand. Bye, Tasha."

Christy practically leaped back on the sofa. Clint came out and swooped her up in a hug.

"They're okay, kid." he whispered through tears. "They're all okay."

Christy let out a breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding.

"Your Daddy's a little banged up, which is why he can't call. But as soon as he's better, Tasha says he'll call. Okay?"

"Okay…"

* * *

About a week later, her phone rang.

As if in a dream, she answered it, perceiving rather than reading the shiny screen that read "Incoming: Dad."

"Dad…" she whispered, pain and hope bubbling up in her heart.

"Hey, baby."

"Daddy…"

"I'm on a plane right now, baby, and I'm so sorry I couldn't call. Everything was falling apart and I couldn't know if the lines would be compromised, but I'm here, I'm alive and so's Natasha and even Fury. He just had to pretend to be dead, like Coulson did. And then I was injured, so I couldn't really talk…"

There was a long pause. Christy didn't bother to tell her dad that Uncle Clint had already filled her in on some of the details.

"Are you still there, Christy?"

Christy swallowed her tears.

"What…what time does your plane get here, Dad?"

"Around six tonight, baby, so I should be back by around seven."

"Okay."

"I promise I'll explain everything tonight, Christy. It's…a bit of a long story, but I owe you the whole thing."

* * *

When the door opened at exactly 6:53 p.m., Christy didn't blink, didn't think, didn't do anything but run, run as fast as she could to the door, because Dad was home and everything could be okay again, even if the world was upside-down.

"Dad!"

"Christy! Oof!" Steve jerked back slightly as she ran into his arms and pushed her face into his chest, as though she were trying to get inside of him. They stood like that for a long time.

"Dad, I was so worried! The news didn't say anything but that you'd gone missing and that Uncle Nick was dead and Dad, I thought you were gonna die too! Why didn't you call me, Daddy? I...I thought you were gonna die!" Christy could feel the tears streaming down her face, probably soaking her dad's shirt, but she could care less. He was here. He was real. He was alive.

She was dimly aware of being led over to the couch and maneuvered into a sitting position. Finally, after a good few minutes of crying, she began to be aware of more than just her dad's arms around her.

Like the fact that there were other people in the room. Including one extra than normal and one missing.

She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Where's Aunt Tasha, dad? And who's the guy?" Steve ruffled her hair.

"Manners, Christy, manners. 'The guy' happens to be Sam Wilson, a.k.a. Falcon. You may have seen him on the news lately."

Christy's mouth dropped open. "Oh yeah! You had those giant wings! Those were so cool! Nice to meet you, by the way." she added, sticking out her hand. Sam shook it.

"Nice to finally meet you, too. You know, your dad's been bragging about you since we first met."

Christy rolled her eyes in token protest, but her smile was big enough to power New York single-handedly.

"As for Natasha…she's…hiding." Steve cast a look at Clint. "She called you, I know, so you probably know more than me."

Clint nodded. "All her mission files and everything else are now public, so she's laying low in a safe house outside D.C. I'll probably go after her tonight, if that's alright…"

Steve nodded immediately. "Go, go find her. She probably needs you right now. I tried to get her to come back with us, but she…"

Clint just rolled his eyes. " _She_ is a stubborn, overprotective, self-proclaimed lone wolf who probably didn't want her bad press reaching us. But she'll want at least me, even if she won't say it."

Tony, who had been amazingly well-behaved until now, quipped, "Well, Legolas, far be it from us to keep you from your girlfriend. Go see her." Bruce rolled his eyes.

"Ignore him, he's insane." he muttered to Sam. Sam smirked back.

"So what happened at the battle?" asked Christy. "And who's the Winter Soldier?" Steve looked startled.

"Where did you hear that name?" he asked. Christy looked embarrassed.

"I…heard Uncle Clint talking to Aunt Tasha on the phone and he said 'The Winter Soldier' really loud, so I figured it was someone important."

Steve glared at Clint. Clint threw up his hands. "I was in my room! How was I supposed to know she'd be listening in?"

"Natasha and I are missing for almost a week and you didn't expect her to try and get more information?"

"I thought the great Captain America would've taught his kid that eavesdropping is bad!"

"I still don't know who the Winter Solider is." Christy cut in. Her dad and uncle would go on all night otherwise. "You can tell me who he is or I can look him up on Google."

Clint snorted. "There's no way you'll find out about the Winter Soldier on Google, kid."

"Then who is he?" Christy asked.

Everyone's eyes were turned to Steve and Sam. Steve slowly ran a hand through his short blond hair. He couldn't focus on everyone's faces right now, just Christy's.

"Christy, you know my stories. Who's usually in them, besides me?"

"Uncle Tony's dad, Aunt Peggy, the Howling Commandos, Bucky…" At the sound of his friend's name, Steve stiffened.

"Yeah, Bucky." he whispered. "Well, you remember the story about how Bucky fell off the train, right? And he died?"

Christy nodded slowly. "Yes…"

"Well…he didn't."

It only took about half a minute before the light bulb went off for everybody.

"Are you kidding…?!"

"Steve, are you sure…?"

"Are you serious…?"

"He's alive?!"

Steve sighed. "Yes, I'm positive. He's alive. HYDRA found him, when he fell from the train. They…messed with him. Bad. He'd already been experimented on when his unit was captured in '43, so something must have allowed him to survive the fall…only to get experimented on again and turned into a living weapon!"

Sam placed his hand on Steve's shoulder. He sighed. "He didn't even remember me, at first, but in the end, when I fell off the Helicarrier into the Potomac…I'm sure it was him that dragged me out."

Silence reigned for a few moments as Christy and the remaining Avengers processed this development. All of them were feeling empathy for Steve. He had found out his best friend was still alive, but had been broken possibly beyond repair.

Finally, Bruce spoke. "You're going after him, aren't you?"

Steve nodded tightly. "As soon as possible. I just wanted to come back, make sure you all knew I was okay…but as soon as I can, I'm going on the hunt."

"Alone?" Christy looked terrified at the prospect. Clint, Bruce, and Tony looked equally upset.

"And do you think I'd let this idiot risk his life chasing after an ex-HYDRA assassin, alone?" Sam replied, giving Steve a half-shove. "He's got the self-preservation instincts of a dodo!"

Christy relaxed, a little. Her eyes were still tense. Sam noticed, and put a hand on her knee.

"Look, I'll take good care of your dad, kid. I'll make sure he comes home still in one piece."

"Thank you. Thanks for everything." Christy's tone revealed what she couldn't say.

 _Thanks for making sure he came back to me._

Sam smiled. "Anytime, kid."

"Okay, so start at the beginning." Bruce said. "And, you fell off a Hellicarier?"

"It crashed into the Potomac." Steve muttered.

Clint shook his head. "Man, you have a terrible track record with being on giant machines that crash into bodies of water."

"I would hardly call two times a 'track record…'"

"But what _happened_?" Christy cried. "All they told us was that Uncle Nick was dead and you and Aunt Tasha were fugitives. What _happened_?"

Steve sighed. "It all started when I got back to my apartment one night..."

* * *

It was almost midnight before Steve and Sam had hashed out all the details of the past two weeks, or at least all the details they cared to share in front of a nine-year old.

Christy yawned and Steve checked his watch.

"Alright, time for someone to hit the hay. Actually, probably all of us."

"But I'm okay, dad, really…"

"Go to bed, kid." Christy turned in shock to the one person she least expected to make that kind of remark.

"Uncle Tony?"

"Look, it's been a long week, kid, just quit trying to grow up at the speed of light and go sleep already."

Dazed, and truly tired, Christy nodded. She got up and went towards the elevator. "Night everybody."

"I'll be in later." Steve promised, as everyone called out good-nights.

As Christy boarded the elevator to their floor, Steve glanced at Tony. "Thanks,"

Tony shrugged. "She's had a rough couple weeks. To be honest, we all have. You and Natasha gave us a pretty bad scare." he turned to Sam. "Not that we didn't care about you, but we don't exactly know you."

Sam grinned. "No hard feelings."

"Well it wasn't like we planned this." Steve replied. "Believe me, if I had known anything…"

"None of us knew anything." Clint said wearily. "That's the point." he sighed. "Betrayal sucks."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Steve muttered. "I thought we won the war, that I did something worthwhile…and all this time, HYDRA was growing like a weed inside SHIELD."

"So…SHIELD's out." Tony said. "What's the game plan?"

Steve shrugged. "Rebuild from the ground up? I guess that's the only option." He glanced at his watch. "Look, I'm gonna go make sure Christy's all right and hit the sack. You coming, Sam? We got an extra bed on my floor."

"Your _floor_?" Sam's eyes bugged out comically. "Uh, yeah, I'll be up in a bit, if that's okay. Give you and Christy some space."

Steve nodded and got on the elevator. Sam shook his head as the super soldier disappeared.

"He told me about her, of course. But seeing him with her, it's just…insane. Captain America with a kid?"

Clint grinned. "Should've seen us when Steve first suggested adopting her. It was jaws on the floor. But she's been…great. More than great."

Tony nodded and turned his gaze onto Sam. "So, another bird-man. Don't suppose those wings of yours could use a touch up?"

* * *

Steve quietly entered his daughter's room. Christy was sitting up in bed, surrounded by pillows like a fortress.

"Hey, baby." That was all it took to start the floodgates. Christy's eyes teared up and spilled over as Steve moved to sit down beside her. He held her for a long time, until her crying grew less.

"I thought you were gone. It was really scary." she finally whispered.

"I know…I know. I'm just so glad you were safe." he paused. "You know, I had to come back. I couldn't break my promise."

"What promise?" Christy whispered.

"That I will always come back to you, remember? I promised the day I brought you home that no matter what, I would always return to you. Nobody, not even HYDRA, could make me break that."

"But what if you had…"

"Ah-ah-ah, what did we say about 'if's?'" Steve asked firmly. Christy sighed.

"That they usually don't happen."

"Exactly."

"Dad…did you really break into an old army base and find a guy who was supposed to be dead preserved as a computer?"

Steve grinned. "Remember the other thing I told you. 'Everything I say...'"

"'Everything I say is always true. It is not always complete.'" Christy recited. "I still say that's really weird. So is he…dead? Can a computer die?"

"He's dead, alright. The base blew up. As for your last question…I have no idea. But if a computer can die, there isn't one as dead as Zola."

"Good." Christy folded her arms. "I'm glad he can't hurt anyone anymore. But it's sad that SHIELD fell apart."

"Sometimes…" Steve sighed. "Sometimes, things are just so bad, that the most merciful thing to do is start over and hope for the best. We remember the past, learn from our mistakes, but we don't cry over it too much, because life can always get better."

"And did the guy that was Uncle Nick's boss really betray everybody? What was his name again?"

"Alexander Pierce. And yes, he was a dirty, rotten traitor."

Christy made a low sound that sounded like a growl. Steve had a feeling that Tony would have to update the repertoire of faces on her punching bag, soon.

"I don't like traitors. Or bullies. Or people that brainwash other people." she frowned. "You're…gonna go look for Bucky, right?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah, I'm gonna go, me and Sam. But I don't know…I might not be able to call you, on the hunt."

Christy nodded, the look on her face far too old for a nine year old. _Nine_. He'd been able to come back for her birthday, but her new age hadn't quite sunk in as reality.

"Go find Bucky." she whispered. "I'm not gonna stop you."

Steve relaxed, visibly. Truthfully, he'd been more concerned about his daughter's reaction to things than anyone else's.

"I have to help him, Christy. He…he always looked after me. I wouldn't have lived to become Captain America if it wasn't for the stubbornness of Bucky Barnes. That punk would not let me die, I swear."

"I understand dad, honestly." Christy looked up with earnest eyes. "If somebody hurt Tally, I'd tear 'em to shreds and do anything to help her; and this is way worse than that!"

"Glad to have your blessing, kid." Steve said quietly. "Want me to stay 'till you fall asleep?"

"Please?"

"Of course." Steve lay out on Christy's bed; it was queen-sized, so there was plenty of room. Christy snuggled into his side.

"Night, dad."

"Night, baby."

That night, Christy fell asleep to her dad's breathing, instead of her own racing thoughts.

There was no going back to the way things had been, that much was clear.

But maybe, even though everything wouldn't be the same, it would still be okay, in the end.

* * *

 **Dun, dun, duuuunnn! And so begins another tale. And yes, since this is May of _2014,_ Christy is now nine. (Her birthday's in March).  
**

 **Look for "Never Meant For You To Fix Yourself" coming soon! Can't wait!**

 **UPDATE: "Never Meant For You To Fix Yourself" is NOW POSTED, repeat, NOW POSTED! It is under the Captain America section of this site, not the Avengers one, fyi. (And also on my profile, obviously). Go read it! Thanks!**


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